Reviews (page 11 of 14)
What a surprise. I did not think I'd enjoy this as much as I did. What a great album and a great sound.
I really liked this one! I could see myself listening to it again for sure.
Just not my genre. But solid beats.
Nah, not my style
Cool 90s vibe. Kinda like tribe and doom. Big fan
Fun old school hip hop
Hip-hop. Low-key. Felt like 1990’s
This was a great album and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. The jazzier beats and uncommon instruments such as a flute on the song “if you only knew” are the highlights for me. Favorite track: Thin Line
Great album. It definitely brings back some early soul and hiphop vibes while also feeling like it could have come out yesterday.
I listened to the entire album with an open mind……I still hate rap and hip hop. Not my thing. Too much the same. Fast talking’s the game, but it’s lame, inane, insane, trying to make a name, get fame, but I want none of it, no fun in it, put a gun to it and blow that shit away.
Extremely solid but began to run into one another as the album went on.
Rap isn't t ever gonna be my preferred genre.
I do not enjoy most rap "music" as there is very limited (if any) musical instrument talent. It's all about the lyrics which tend to be vulgar, degrading to women, very juvenile, and immature.
Underground hip hop classic. Clean production. Don’t think a single song misses. Groovy.
Å fy faen ja ass... Dette er 10/10 old school boom bap fack ju ap the beat don't stahp. Legendarisk album
I suspect they were influenced by Tribe Called Quest. I hear similarities, though this doesn’t lean into jazz influences as strongly. I like this kind of HipHop and enjoyed this album. 3.5
Not a hip hop fan, per se, but I like the jazzy/funky beats. Sounds more mid-90s to me. Decent. 3.4
Possibly my favourite album reviewed here so far. Lucky enough to see J5 in Edinburgh back in 2004, and this was as fresh now as it was then: beats, lyrics, breaks and production. A classic
Solid. Nothing flashy but good for listening to while in the office. I think I got them confused with someone else as I was certain I’d heard them before but nothing rang a bell. Once it finished it started up with Kool Keith which is always a treat.
I enjoyed it. Really liked what they did with all the sampling with vibes of Avalanches in there. Didn't know Cut Chemist was in J5 but now makes sense. A Day at the Races was my high point but quality was pretty consistently good throughout
Straight Hip-Hop
This is one of my more favorite styles of hip-hop. I love the jazz elements that give it a cool flair.
Wow this is a fantastic hip hop album. Beats are slick, and the bars are TIGHT. Very melodic which I’m a huge fan of. Surprised I haven’t heard of them before. 4.0
I had never heard of this album before. I read up about it on Wikipedia and I was really excited about it. It sounded like something I would enjoy, and the members were very interesting people. Listening it, the beats are great, the vocals are smooth, and I love how the members all jive together. This was a really fun discovery, and I would definitely listen to it again.
it’s like tribe but it’s not tribe
an alright jazz rap album. nothing hit though
Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.
Alternative hip hop. Ni fú ni fá.
- very smooth rap with some good flows - longer than it needed to be - the songs with the features were all pretty good
- really cool beats and flow - enjoy the different voices - walks the edge of corny sometimes
about half way in and I'm enjoying this album. It's got a jazzy feel that I really enjoy in rap music. It does get a little samey through a full album which brings me to a common refrain for me regarding Rap albums...they're too long. At 56 minutes this one is not as egregious as others and it actually does vary the musical styles more than some other highly rated Rap classics which definitely helps in the listenability department but still I'd like it more if it were 10 minutes shorter. All in all one of the better rap albums on this list IMHO. 4 stars
Good stuff
Lovely stuff
Honestly didn’t hate this. Low bar but could listen to it again. Very average but was engaging!
My kind of hip-hop right here; using acoustic and realistic-sounding drum samples sets the entire sound palette for me. Fantastic rhythmic rhyming and flow - even when there's a plethora of words (which for artists like Eminem it's a big turnoff) it's all done so cleverly and rhythmically that you can't stop moving your head. Keeper. 8/10 4 stars.
Reminds me of DOOM
I am trying to be picky with my 5 star awards, but I think I might regret not giving one to J5 here. They just don't miss. Favorite track was day at the races
too classic rap for me. Has a few gems
Very good, similar but different to other 90s/00s hip hop
Good but aint into that style
I always thought Jurassic 5 were an 80s group, but turns out they released all their albums between 1998 and 2006. It is probably the "hi, my name is Louis, and I'm going to do a rap about this" style that makes me think 80s and is also quite easy to get along with. Safe, accessible, fine, but like a lot of hip hop albums, 20 minutes too long. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: What's Golden Date listened: 18/12/23
A very strong album with Standouts in every track.
Not bad
Hip hop/trip hop. Great heavy beats. 5/5
Ei hyvä
It’s very good! Well produced and tight.
Thought this album was great. Guy spoke about some real life stuff and I always appreciate an artist that can do that in musical form. Last song on the album is trash though, horrible instrumentals for 6 minutes lol.
I was not familar with this band until just recently. I love this album
Man this is peak hip hop for me. Good beats and flow, and I had never heard it. My first 5. Review of Reviews: The people who hadnt heard it love it, and those who had heard it love it. People who are receptive to hip hop recognize all the pieces to this album work. Best Track: A Day at the Races
Wow! I absolutely loved this album from start to finish!! If I can’t complain about it then I can’t argue with a five. Added so many songs
Mid and cap
pretty solid hip hop album
Solid album. I really enjoyed it, but can’t give it the full 5 for the unapologetic homophobia throughout “One of Them”
This album was really good. The group rap shit is very rarely not corny. This was not the case. These mfers went hard. Really enjoyed this album no lie.
Really nice hooks and melodies. I enjoyed it!
Fell off: at the start this was sounding perfect, I was digging every second of it. Then paused and came back to the second half and it sounded very mid. I was loving the jazz samples but those elements I was enjoying and am familiar with fell away in the second half. Just underwhelming + the cover is very dated.
Fun, I still prefer the instruments and beats, overlays and subs over the actual rapping on most songs
Some serious bops
I prefer Quality Control but I love their sound!
very very very cool production incredibly solid and fun
Finally.. the first rap album I've gotten on this thing! and its one that I couldn't really get into.. I definitely appreciate this style of hip hop, a lot of old heads would say its the best and I recognize it for what it is but I just could never really get into the kinda boom-bap sounds. Its just not really my style but I know others would appreciate this and I know its a great album. Overall: 1.6/5
12/1/23. Very chill and kicked back hip hop album. Loved the jazz influenced samples and lyrical content. Have heard of A Day at the Races numerous times, but glad I finally listened to the entire album!
The kool keith freestyle was funnest (ddt) the rest slightly too intelligent too socially conscious to be too fun. Solid classic beats, sampled?
J5 is so good, that album is legendary
A J5 classic
I've heard worse
This is my first time listening through this whole album. Damn it's good.
Jurassic pork
Banger after Banger
Some interesting diversions here! “Freedom” is fantastic. But rap isn’t my favorite.
Excellent!
Not for me
Alternative hip hop. Ni fú ni fá.
This is the kind of hip hop I like!
I saw J5 in college and have this cd. They put on an exciting live show, but as an album, this is mostly boring beats and cheesy hooks. Scratching my head on how this one found its way on the list. I've always seen these guys as watered down atcq/roots - and this is like their 2nd or 3rd best album - weird.
Never heard of them but the beats are decent, lyrics good.
Much better than I thought it would be. Not really my thing, but at least it was decent listen.
Really good
Great stuff. Smooth flow.
Great album, some notes of folk with high pitch in hip hop and a very good sense of rythm
Dope beats, smooth rhymes. Fun album
Really enjoyed this. Not what I was expecting. Good melodies. Standout track: One of Them
This had enough variety and musical depth to keep me interested. I do like this kind of alternative hip-hop. I can remember Jurassic 5 vaguely and I think I remember concrete schoolyard (from a previous album?). It was great as background cooking/cleaning music because it kept my energy up. Loved What’s Golden.
This was cool. I was not able to give it the listen it required for a full-on review, but I bet that even a closer listen would result in the same rating. I enjoyed it, glad to have heard it, may not go back for more only because there is just so much music out there to explore.
I confess I was unable to give this a close listen, but what I heard was cool. It's chill. Cool sampling. It's very old-school. Reminds me of A Tribe Called Quest. It's not the most adventurous or ambitious rap I've ever heard, which is what I normally gravitate toward, but it's good for a chill listen. Or as background party music.
My kind of hip hop!
Got through about half of it
Not really my kind of music
Very good album!
First thought: is this Australian hip hop? *Checks Wikipedia* nope, Jurassic 5 are from LA. "Alternative hip hop". Okay. I can get into that. Think A Tribe Called Quest/De La Soul but with the tempo of a heartbeat. I didn't mind it. It wasn't blown out of the water awesome. Overall: 4/10
Cool beats! Fun record.
Not for me
Known before: Band Standouts: 2. Freedom 4. Break 14. One of them 9/10
Known Before: Standouts: 3. If You Only Knew 4. Break 6. A Day At The Races 8. What's Golden 9.0
Known Before: One song Standouts: 8. What's Golden 8.5
Seemed to get better as it went on, throwing in more curveballs.
A jem!
I liked it. Reminded me of old school funk rap where it had hints of black nationalism and just enough positive affirmations. Also helps the beats change through the album
Reminds me of erik B and Rakeem
It was alright, not really my thing
Spiritual lyrical miracle individual.
The only artist on this collection I'd heard of before is Nelly Furtado so I had no idea what to expect. It's surprisingly understated given the cover art, I'm a fan! Nice and chill early 2000s rap. Like with The Hives, I think I've been so damn spoiled lately that some music that's very good in its own right is just being overshadowed at the moment.
A couple of really great songs, I love their flow. Nothing bad at all, all around jams.
Old school rap
only one likable track: "a day at the races" "i am somebody" almost gets there too
New fan over here
I know very little about this style of music. This album sounded fine. No strong feelings.
Wow this really is the week of R&B and hip hop. This was fine. It kind of faded into the background while I was driving but when I actively listened, I didn’t mind it.
Good
Lyrical hip hop with jazz samples - some good stuff.
Good album, great band. I like their prior album more but have lots of fond memories of this kne
Just a funky chilled album, cut from the same cloth as the likes of Black Star, big beats and big vibes from the verbal herman munsters, the word enhancers.
I was a little surprised to see this one pop up, wasn’t sure J5 would get the love compared to many of their contemporaries. It still sounds good though.
Shocked this made the list! Wore this cd out driving around in David Berry’s turquoise Pontiac Sunfire. 4/5 on merit (One of Them was a skip then and still is) but when you’re 17 and eating a whopper riding shotgun around Sherwood Park with nowhere to go it’s a 13/5 so I’ll average it out to a 5.
Holy Fuck!! My whole Junior High in one CD, this thing wore out many a Discman. I’m not even going to try and be objective, 6/5. BK! Power in Numbers!!
3.8
I personally prefer "Quality Control" By Jurassic 5, but they are one of my favorite hip-hop groups. Chali 2na is one of my favorite rappers ever, and their first couple albums hold a strong place in my mind from the time of their release. This album isn't a perfect release for me, so I don't feel I can give it 5 stars, but I'd probably give it 4.5, if I could.
A+ flow, delivery, and production is very fun really solid album all around
I'm kinda shocked I've never heard of them. This was a solid album from start to finish. I'm not running to add these songs to my playlists, but I really enjoyed listening to the album as a whole. I'll give it another listen for sure. Rating 4.4.
This album brings me back to college- they played on our campus when I was a freshman. No one cared, though. I'm surprised by how much I like this album! Nice beats and lyrics--I'll have to check out more of their music.
Not that much into hip hop anymore, I'm afraid, depends on the album, and this wasn't quite it.
Not good.
This is - 5/5 Freedom - 5/5 If You Only Knew - 5/5 Break - 3/5 React - 3/5 A Day at the Races - 4/5 Remember His Name - 5/5 What's Golden - 5/5 Thin Line - 3/5 After School Special - 3/5 High Fidelity - 3/5 Sum of Us - 3/5 DDT - 2/5 One of Them - 3/5 Hey - 2/5 I am Somebody - 3/5 Acetate Prophets - 2/5
Pretty good, but nothing particularly groundbreaking or anything.
laid back of the beat hip hop ft the skillful sampling of its era
this is a fun listen without the usual gangstas, hoes, or bitches you might expect. Thank you!
Loved One Of Them, cool beat, and I think this aggressive style fits them, they sound great. The rest is decent, but nothing else really stands out
it's better than 3s but weaker than some 4s. probably a 4 tho since it doesn't fit into my definition of a 3 but I will probably not relisten since it wasn't that crazy took me 2 days to finish because I got stuck on Thin Line and relistened to it like 20 times
I'm not very big on hiphop but this is right up my alley. I love Eminem, Fugees, De La Soul and some Dutch hip hop (opgezwolle, osdorp posse, huilende rappers) and this seems to nicely fit in there. Smooth rhymes, a positive attitude and atmosphere. Dig this. 4+ stars!
A hidden gem. Works equally well as background music as it does as the main event thanks to equally skillful lyrics and melodies. The beats are fresh, the hooks catchy, and the sampling straight out of the 80s. At times it feels like an Avalanches album, in a great way. I can't put this album at any place or time, it feels apt for anywhere, anytime. 31/10/23
Yea, pretty sweet
Beautifully crafted and silky caramel rhymes. Hungry for more tasty ear morsels.
Ok
West coast hip-hop avec la vibe, la groove et la poésie.
Súper fun somewhat repetitive
3.9
not my favorite musical genre
I saw Jurassic 5 on Vans Warped Tour (of all places) back in 2000 and had no idea who they were. And I'm still not that familiar with them. This album is good for sure, and it's all over the place in style but strangely works together. Really fun album and something I'd like to listen to more.
Really good album. I'm in the fence about buying it. The bass was hitting hard, as do the lyrics.
I liked it!
Yh I mean it was good
What's Golden is a classic, enjoyed the intro track and the lean on to Freedom.
The instrumentation is awesome! The vocals mesh really well
Aight, listened to most of it. A real time capsule of underground rap at the time
Something notable with some hiphop albums is that, the ones that i like the most trascend the lyrical part. This is one of them. i don't usually care about the lyrics, but with this one, i can feel invested because the beats and the musical part is superb.
what i expected
Had never heard before, except "What's Golden" which I heard a TON in a video game... I think Tony Hawk's Underground? Or maybe an ATV game. Something on my PS2. Anyway. The album rules.
Good album. 7/10.
Þetta er ekki eitthvað sem mér finnst skemmtilegt. Algjörlega gleymanlegt og snerti mig ekkert.
These guys have a very cool and unique sound but it gets really repetitive. This a group that you would be fine just listening to the hits. 3.5 stars.
Fucking boss mate
Not for me.
I really don't quite get it. this is easier than say, Lamar, but yeah idk. not my thing
10/25/23 9:00 S Tier————————— If You Only Knew A Day At The Races A Tier————————— High Fidelity Break What’s Golden Thin Line Sum Of Us Freedom B Tier————————— Hey I Am Somebody After School Special Remember His Name One Of Them C Tier————————— Acetate Prophets React This Is DDT
Wednesday, 10/25/23, 9:18, office S Tier————————— Break One of Them A Tier————————— Freedom If You Only Knew What’s Golden After School Special High Fidelity B Tier————————— Thin Line Sum of Us Hey A Day at the Races Remember His Name I Am Somebody This is C Tier————————— React DDT Acetate Prophet
Not my kind of music, but it is obviously done well. Good production.
Quite liked this Got a bouncy, funky energy
Closer to 4 I enjoyed. Good variety, great flow/lyrics throughout
Phenomenal from start to finish.
Excellent. Hadn't thought about Jurassic 5 in quite awhile.
This is a fun album that really does well to draw on 90s influences. Favorite track: A Day at the Races
Rapp. Ekki mín uppáhaldstónlistarstefna en ágætt fyrir það sem það var.
Great hip hop album
Pretty good. Love the beats
Old school hip hop vibe. Liked it more than I thought I would.
This Is // Freedom // If You Only Knew // What’s Golden // Thin Line // 3.5/5
Sent me on a Jurassic 5 deep dive, I quite liked it.
An old school type rap album. They admit, through their lyrics in an early track, that they are trying to give something different. I am not overly familiar with the genre, but I think they succeeded. Meaningful lyrics and a fun backing groove. Mid 3
impeccable flows, unique beats, skits weren’t bad either. honestly enjoyed every track!
Amazing rap album ! I am not a biiig fan of rap in general, but this one stands out a lot. A lot of variation in the rythms etc it’s amazing !
How in the HELL had I never heard of these guys, or this spectacular album. I thought I'd found a lost Tribe Called Quest album after a few tracks ! Loved it.
Love me some J5. Let’s hope it’s a start of an awesome 1001 week.
This album has excellent production, meaningful lyrics, and overall catchy beats and sounds and is probably the best hip hop album Ive ever heard. I will listen to this again and I highly recommend it.
4.667 average per track. Excluded “this is” and “react”. Fantastic album.
Thin line
I had no idea this was gonna be this good wow. 2000s hiphop can be actually good? Whaat? INSAANE instrumentals. Most of the first half made me dance and stuff it was so vibey. Its only a 4 star because the second half had some weaker songs. And I'm not talking about the last song that's a vibe. Many eeasy 5 star songs but altogether a good 4. The best album in weeks
I knew nothing about Jurassic 5 going in and was quite impressed. The lyrics are smart, positive, and concerned with truth. The use of sampling and downtempo beats is really interesting. You can tell these guys owe a lot to new school 80s/90s hip hop and pay homage throughout with their beats and flow style. The members are very talented and have their own styles, yet sounds really great as a collective. I love alt/progressive rap and this album really hit the spot.
Brought me back to the early 00's.
This is kicking! Very good. Jazzy and soulful hip hop. Very easy, but interesting beats. Slow paced. Multiple wicked MCs!
Some really cool ideas here, but for my first listen I felt like they got pretty tired and couldn't justify the run time. I'll be coming back to this to pick my favourites out.
An album with a lot of variety in sounds. Hip-hop is among the genres I seek out the least, though I usually find myself enjoying it when I listen to it. My extremely uneducated opinion is that the beats and instrumentals sound solid. The jazzy tracks in particular stand out to me.
Poetry and rhythm.
Didn’t finish, but really appreciated what I heard. Has a very raw, real feel, underground in a way? Fugee-esque?Especially appreciated tracks “A Day at the Races” and “Thin Line”. 4/5, would totally recommend.
pretty good, nice lyrics. not a fan of hip hop but this has some bangers.
Interesting music. However, a bit hard to listen to. Not something I would listen to again.
jazzy, funky and the lyrics slap
Love this
Pretty good, will probably have to dive deeper into it, really liked "after school special" the guitar sounds similar to B.I.G.'s "Just playing"
Ok
Classic, good vibes hip-hop. Great varieties of flows and awesome bass lines!
Good, but ultimately too long and samey as an album. Standouts like What’s Golden and A Day at the Races are still absolute bangers.
Old school hip hop, not too in your face. Flows well and is an easy listen. Enjoyed.
Haven’t listened since high school. Loved it
great album! has a fantastic flow from start to finish. Utilizes so many different sounds (If You Only Knew has a great jazz flute background) and the lyrics range anywhere from philosophical to relationships between friends and lovers (Thin Line). I havent listened to much in the way of alternative hip hop but I kept this on from start to finish with no breaks!
Meh, just not my style. Coming from someone who loves A Tribe Called Quest.
An alright rap album.
Great hip hop album
Top 3: Break, A Day at the Races, High Fidelity Mostly a banger, couple songs are mid
phunky phresh likes- thin line
Jurassic 5 stars
Always loved the way the different vocalists blend their lyrics together
This albums actually like really good, it harnesses the styling of grandmaster flash, this album makes Eminem look like skittles.
Pretty good, old-school sounding hi-hop album. I was surprised to see that it was released in 2002 after I started listening. Not much to say about this one, I enjoyed it but didn't move me as much as some other hip-hop albums do. Fave tracks: Break, Thin Line, Acetate Prophets
An enjoyable album with classic Hip Hop vibes. Big props to the producers for sampling, mixing and effects in here - give it a very cohesive feeling. The rapping was also very smooth, but not the highlight for me. Fav Tracks: Break, What's Golden, High Fidelity
Favourite songs: What's Golden, Break, Freedom, A Day At The Races, Remember His Name, High Fidelity, Sum of Us Least favourite songs: Hey, React, This Is (fucking skits) 4/5
This is the kind of hip-hop I love. Really love this, but it goes on for a bit too long. 4/5
It’s an alright rap album,literally nothing memorable about it all.
Testou minha paciência coma sequencia de discos de hip hop, e para piorar, este foi o mais ruim.
Have loved J5 since I saw them at the Warped Tour in 2000. A truly excellent hip-hop group that I feel never really got the accolades they deserve. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to their records, more than happy to revisit this one again.
I would say their debut (J5 LP from 1998) is essential listening. Power in Numbers is also great hip hop record. On Power in Numbers they’ve expanded on their signature sound of harmonising rap over break beats. With top notch turntableism, a surpring amount of great flute samples and archaic record industry samples. Power in Numbers has a fuller more radio friendly sound than their previous releases. But it has also lost a little bit of freshness of the debut. Still a lot of great tracks here.
A chill album built on top of minimal beats. The energy is very consistent, but few songs stand out over others. Rapping is never bad but never impressive. An album you listen to for vibe above anything else, if this is the vibe you want. I like the more experimental and sample-heavy final song quite a bit, but it doesn't really fit with the album that precedes it. Best song: Acetate Prophets
Very cool, reminds me of MF Doom a bit and I love that.
Surprisingly very very good album!
Great album. Really enjoyed this one. I had never really listened to j5 previously but I loved when they rotate the lead in the middle of a song. Each voice has its own personality that comes through on every verse. I felt like the whole album was consistent throughout, I don't even think I could pick a track to single out because it all sounded good to me. High 4/5 easy
I really like most of the songs. I probably won't listen to it beginning to end again but. Lot of the lyrics are genius and great rhythem.
Corny
puike plaat!
Paar gute tracks
funky fresh.
Ok
Not keen on rap. Quite jazzy though.
This is sick.
Good rap!
Dig it!
ok
Not my thing, but can appreciate it would be good if it was
39/100
AJ: pretty cooooool
- fun to see Nelly Furtado on here - slick, cohesive; the skits on some songs were fun - reminded me at many points of Madvillainy by Madvillain - the track I Am Somebody reminded me strongly of the Silk Sonic album
Väldugt trevligt, saknade bara Mos def. Nice bassljud på de flesta beaten och en av dem som rappa hade sjukt nice röst och flow.
Lätt det bästa albumet vi har fått här. Varje låt var skitbra och varje sampel var roligt och intressant. Detta i kombination med roliga mellansnack, snygga övergångar och skit bra text så var detta 5/5. Favorit låtar: Remember his name och break
JAG ÄLSKAR DET HÄR ALBUMET!! Asfeta beats, sjuka samples och ett otroligt flow från alla medverkande rappare gör albumet fruktansvärt bra. Låtarna är varierade på ett väldigt snyggt sätt och hela albumet i sig är producerat gudalikt. Jag gillade varenda låt. Men måste jag välja favorit: If you only knew, Thin line, High fidelty
Väldigt bra album, även om det inte är min favoritgenre så gillade ja det mycket
One listen was enough to remind me that J5 are just mediocre thinking man’s rap. Basically copped the Tribe/De La vibe without be groundbreaking or interesting.
Really surprised by this album. Every song flows nicely into each other, the voice clips are a really nice touch and the beats on this project are absolutely amazing. Rapping is old school so its kinda nostalgic, but not really a absolute fan of it. For a 2002 project this album is amazing 8.5/10
What's Golden is an serious banger.
The best 'new to me' hiphop album we've had on this list. Blown away by it.
I confused them with Maroon 5 who they most definitely are not. i like this a lot and will look out for more of their stuff
Soul music that we can all relate to. Candy for your ears.
I love their sound great sounding lyrics against the music love how their voices work together. like the message. love the bassy sounds,.
This is a cool record. I pretty much immediately gave it a second listen. It's going to require further listening.
Great old rap music from US. Wonderful music from the best times of HipHop. I love this album, even I never listened to it before. Now I will be coming back to it.
As a fan of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul or The Roots, I have always been aware of who Jurassic 5 were, since they picked the ball those first two acts had dropped at the end of the nineties, and this around the same time The Roots dropped its own masterpieces. Jurassic 5's thing is all about positivity, lyrics devoid of any unnecessary aggro bullsh*t, and the lush soul and jazz samples that are the most fitting for those themes. Native Tongues 2.0. The thing is, as respectable and nicely done as *Power In Numbers* is, it's still one or two notches under most albums made by all those bands I've just mentioned here. How come? Well, I've always thought that the only thing that prevented Jurassic 5 to become an "essential" band was their lack of identity somehow. The music of ATCQ, De La Soul and The Roots had very idiosyncratic traits that made those acts unambiguously endearing--and the same went for the very recognizable rapping styles within each one of those legendary oufits. In comparison, Jurassic 5 sounds a little, well... *indistinct* in its intentions, both vocally and musically. The tones and inflexions of those admittedly very skilled rappers are a little linear: only their contrasting voice registers allow you to truly differentiate between them. And that aspect is a little underwhelming, as good as the rapping is on the album. As a consequence nothing really stands out in *Power In Numbers*. For starters, it kicks off with quite average cuts, a sort of understated move that's probably a mistake here. The Roots sometimes made similar moves, but what came next always justified starting things nice and slow (because the build-up after that was often insane!). This is not what happens here. If I make a bit of an effort, I could single out "A Day At The Races" and "Remember His Name", with its mesmerizing, echo-laden flute sample--along with the easy-on-the-ear single "What's Golden", maybe. The acoustic guitar sample on "Thin Line" is quite pretty at first glance, but it sorts of wears out its welcome once this track about a man being "friend-zoned" by a love-interest ends after nearly five minutes (that could probably have been cut short before that ultimate time stamp) I don't think I need to elaborate any further, because everything on the second side of the record has the sort of linear dynamics already found in "Thin Line". The songs are not bad by any means. But it's not like they're gonna revolutionize the hip hop playbook either. Plus, this record doesn't have "Concrete Schoolyard" in its tracklisting (it's in their first LP, originally an EP that was later expanded). So why would I bother adding *Power In Numbers* to my shelves if it doesn't even have what is maybe the band's best track ever? On a more positive note, there's one last cut that's worthy of your attention here: closer "Acetate Prophets", whose fast bongo-laden and koto-enhanced (!) rhythms seem to hearken back to the experimentations of a highly respectable member of the original Native Tongues crew, i.e. the Jungle Brothers. But the idiosyncratic touches are too few and too late by that point. And my oh my, why is this track an instrumental only??! Another missed occasion where Jurassic 5 could have really shone, instead of only twinkling! So that's it. *Power In Numbers* is a good album, but it's not *stellar*. Therefore, including it in the list probably uses a slot that could be given to a better record. 3/5 for the purposes of this list, which translates to a 8/10 grade for more general purposes (5 + 3). Number of albums left to review: 448 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 256 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 132 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 167 (including this one)
This that old school, hip hop, boom bap, nice raps album. Break, React, and What’s Golden are some of my favorite tracks.
I really loved this. Not much of a hiphop guy, but it’s definitely something I enjoy occasionally. In this case it was the clarity and the beats. Just a vibe that made my day better and my city walk more enjoyable.
Blissful
I know Jurassic 5 for one song that is not on this album, and was overplayed by my ride during Junior year of high school. Freedom has a nice laid-back old school beat. Really dig the different textures of the MC voices. They run short bars back to back; good flow with "conscious" lyrics. I can get down with it. Remember His Name has a sweet groove. Lead MC has a solid flow with an impressive inclusion of "a salam alaikum" that sounds effortless. The beat on What's Golden sounds almost like something RTJ would produce. I enjoyed Thin Line and the back and forth beat on After School Special. Overall, I found this to be a solid hip-hop album with a set of MCs who have good flow and solid beat selection. That said, there weren't many standouts or any real risks to extend this beyond a 3.5 for me. Production was solid with some beat variation, but I found things to stagnate a bit and felt like the album ran longer than it really needed to. Its a 3 / 5 for me.
One of those albums that likely wasn't appreciated properly because I listened while working and couldn't pay full attention to the lyrics. The start of the album was a bit average, but I started getting into the groove around the middle. Last song is pretty good.
I normally don't like when there are too many people taking turns singing in hip-hop, but this group does it extremely well with the 4 or 5 contributors. A Day at the Races goes hard didn't look up who had that last verse but he was flowing. Not my usual type of music but this album was very good. The beats were great to have on in the background and kept my feet moving.
Mowed my muuufuggin yard to this yesterday pretty damn good mowin music. I want to give a 3.5 but I’m going to round up because I fucking love What’s Golden
This was a decent listen, even to someone who isn't generally a rap fan. The sampling is great, the flow is solid. I admittedly didn't focus much on the lyrical content much on this first listen, so I hope I'm not out of pocket in saying that they seem like a "fun" group, but yeah, this was fun.
Mince
4.5
Agréablement surpris par cet album de hiphop, un peu long mais avec des bangers
How to rate this? Not my cup of tea, not after listening either, but surely well done I guess.
Great beats.
This album was new to me. Majority of the album has very cool jazz backing. Great album. I could see this becoming part of my already eclectic collection
Classic but basic. Nothing spectacular.
Nothing special, not sure why it's on there
it’s good
Seminally funk-tastic!
5 stars at LEAST. So good.
Good beat/lyrics; clear vocals; not usually a hip-hop fan, but these guys are good; enjoyed the instrumentals (Day at the races has a really cool bass line)
It had a few good songs, but not that memorable otherwise.
Good synergy, good beats, good production. Good album!
really excellent production holding up occasionally shaky lyrics (the perils of a large group, probably). whenever the lyrics aren’t shaky, however, this is pretty much perfect. the melodies especially are fabulous and way ahead of their time. great vibe and a great listen. the rare 5 which has distinct errors, because the rest of it is so good.
7 good hip hop with great beats
Love Jurassic 5 but I somehow always forget about them. This is a great album from top to bottom. It's old school hip hop, but uniquely their style. IT seems more sophisticated in a lot of ways - real instruments, thoughtful arrangements. Lots of talent in this group.
I liked this
Dit vind ik een steengoed hiphopalbum. Lekker reppe op eenvoudige, maar toch vol klinkende, beats die lekker in het gehoor liggen. Een aantal tracks kende ik al, een aantal niet. Dit kun je gerust in z'n geheel afdraaien. Geen gekut met gare 13 in een dozijn autotune refreinen, als er gezongen moet worden nodigen ze gewoon een lokaal vrouwtje uit. Top!
Cool feature by Nelly furtado, political album for sure
God I love J5. One of the most talented, articulate, and positive rap groups ever. At the risk of sounding like an old man, I wish the kids today would rediscover this genre the way they've rediscovered 90s music.
Good this and I've not listened to it much
Good vibes.
I liked the 90's rap vibes and good message. This is a good example of less is more. It ended up feeling too long.
Intéressant mais pas mon style
There's a lyrics in one of the first songs on here that says something along of line of how they just want to bring you the old school hip-hop sound. And that's exactly what they do over the whole album, and do it very well. If you're not a fan of those 90s beats and lyrics then I doubt this will change you mind, but for someone like me who loves that sound, I had a great time listening. The production is great, even drum kicks hits you right in the chest. The songs where they up the tempo a little lets them show off their more technical skills, but mostly this is an album to sit back and relax too. No complaints really.
Fun!
"Power in Numbers" is the third sudio album by American hip hop group Jurassic 5. The album starts where their previous album "Quality Control" left off with the same bass line. It features different song styles and songs generally start and end with a speech sample. The album had decent critic reviews and commercially hit #16 in the US and #46 in the UK. After a brief intro, the album gets going with "Freedom." This is more chill with a groove. They're taking a swipe at superpowers not helping poorer nations. "If You Only Knew" takes it in a jazzy diection. Soul music they can relate to. It kicks in to a more traditional hip hop song in "Break." A bigger beat and multiple simultaneous rappers. Sampling "Love to Hate" by Burt and Franklin. And the sampling continues with "Urizen" by David Axelrod in "A Day at the Races."This has a deeper groove with a great bass line. Multple rappers including Big Daddy Kane and Percee P. The first single "What's Golden" keeps the groove and bass going. Sampling Public Enemy's "Prophets of Rage" and sounds somewhat like N.W.A. A cool echoing rapping chorus. Nelly Furtado contributes vocals to the more romantic song "Thin Line." Never a bad idea to sample Minnie Ripperton. Kool Keith contributes to the a capella "DDT." Sa-Ra Creative Partners produced "Hey." This is more soulful and ambient. I felt the Outkast vibe. The album concludes with "Acetate Prophets." Sampling 11 songs, noises and speeches. This goes all over the place: tribal, drumline, a flute, people screaming, Middle Eastern music, chanting. I like chaotic endings. This was an easy, smooth listen. I wouldn't say it breaks any new ground lyrically or musically but nonetheless I enjoyed its variety and sampling. Solid production. A decent record.
Acceptable rap....
Out of nowhere the grooves 10/10
Really great production on the album. Cut Chemist and Chali already got high marks from me for Ozomatli. It's a good album and continued to push HipHop in the early 00's to blend more and more with other genres. 3.5/5
Bättre än väntat, men han som rappar med en mörk röst kan jag inte lyssna på. Alldeles för långt album
One of the best rap albums I’ve ever heard 5/5
Я не знаю почему, но я начал кайфовать от хип-хопа. Узнал бы это я из 2015ого - плюнул бы сам себе в лицо. Но это же офигенно! Сначала я вообще не понял, что это, соул с элементами речитатива или всё-таки рэп? Потом всё устаканилось. Он такой атмосферный, со всякими разными обработанными сильно семплами, с духовыми, с довольно простыми, но плотными битами. Красота в простоте?
4#
eh
The first time I hear of Jurassic 5 was some time in the early aughts; I think they were coming to town as part of a tour with a few other artists that I wanted to see (maybe Lollapooza 2003). I thought about checking them out at the time, because they sounded cool, but I never listened to them until today. This album was great, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The rapping was great, the beats and other musical elements were fantastic, and the lyrics were savvy and political. Chali 2na was easily my favorite rapper of the group; his vocals are so rich and unique, and I thought he had a great flow as well. The run of "Remember His Name," "What's Golden," and "Thin Line" is absolute perfection. "Thin Line" is the best track on the album though; those lyrics about attraction between friends are absolutely brilliant.
Fine
Really cool sounds. I very much enjoyed this one.
Smooth flows that flow smoothly between tracks. A tribute to what came before and an optimistic screed on what came next.
The lyrics seemed like they were trying a little too hard.
Fine. Scratchy. Ok to listen to but it got a bit dull.
Much better than what I anticipated, kinda sounded like proto-Gorillaz at times. Am I crazy?
A great discovery!
Conscious, Jazz Rap, Boom Bap... Wow! I didn't knew Jurassic 5 was all of that, why nobody told me? Very glad I just discovered this album.
After initial trepidation about yet another unknown hip hop album I really warmed to this. Light tunes, good sound and nicely put together. A real revelation.
Another good one. Unfamiliar with the artists.
Very simple samples that go fucken hard, lyrics have deep meanings behind them. Love this kind of hip hop with old school sampling.
Not so new old school rap